Daily Devotion: Passion for the Lost

Scripture:
Matthew 10: 1-8

Main Verse:
Matthew 10: 7:8
As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Observation:
The Lord's instruction about preaching the Gospel to the lost was mentioned several times in the Four Gospels and in Acts. The Lord's focus was in bringing back the people to God and restoring their broken relationship, so He commanded his disciples to share the Good News to all nations. In today's sermon, there were a couple of verses that shows the Lord's passion for people:

Matthew 10: 1-8 - We have freely received our salvation, so we ought to freely share this to others, too.
Luke 10: 1-2 - The Lord wants us to partake in the work of evangelizing the fields of people who need to receive God's mercy and grace.
Mark 16: 15-20 - We are instructed to preach the Gospel to all creation.
Matthew 28: 18-20 - Every disciple is a discipler. We should not only go and share the Gospel, but care for those who have received the Gospel, so that they may be able to share this to others as well.
Acts 1:8 - As we have had our personal encounter with the Lord, we have both the right AND responsibility to be the Lord's witnesses to all.

Application:
The two questions at the end of today's Sunday sermon was something that we as disciples need to think about and answer seriously:

1. What is my level of passion for God?
2. What is my level of passion for people?

If we look back at Jesus's ministry while He was alive, He spent His time reaching out to people, preaching and teaching the Word, casting out demons, and praying for and healing the sick. What was the Lord trying to show us? He was setting an example to his disciples, to the believers, that if they truly want to be His follower, then they should also have that passion, that same affection and eagerness to reach the Lost. If we are passionate in our daily devotion and quiet times with the Lord and in our ministry in the church, then we should also give the ministry of evangelization the same level of passion. Are all Christians required to evangelize? If we look back at the previous verses, it is clear that the Lord wants us to share to others what we have received from Him: His free gift of salvation and forgiveness.

Prayer:
Indeed, Lord, there is still much to do for the lives of those who do not yet have a personal relationship with you. I pray that I may have the same passionate heart as yours in sharing the Gospel to others in every circumstance. May there be many opportunities for me to show to others your goodness and faithfulness so that more people may experience your loving presence in their lives. In Jesus's mighty name I pray. AMEN.